Improvement in spoke-lathe



tta-aa ,sata

Letters/Patmt No. 90,689. dated .Tune l, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPOKE-LATHE.'

The Schedule referred to in these 'Letters Patent and making part of the came.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ISAAC S. ROLAND, of Reading, in the county of Berks, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Spoke-Lathe; and I do hereby declare that the following, is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which constitute a portion of this specification.

Figure l is a front elevation of said lathe;

Figure 2, a top view;

Figure 3, a transverse section in the line a l1" of fig. A1; and

The other drawings represent various parts of the machine in detail. Y

The nature of my invention consists inthe peculiar combination and arrangement of the respective parts of my improved spoke-lathe, by which I am enabled to automatically form a perfect spoke, substantially in the manner hereinafter particularly set forth.V

The front portion of the frame Work,'which supports the respective parts of my improved spoke-lathe, is composed of the horizontal parallel beams A A', and the forked side-posts B B', the said beams being firmly secured to the respective forked terminations of said posts, as shown in Figure 7.

. The rear portion of the supporting-frame of my iinproved spoke-lathe, is composed of the front vertical posts G G', the rear posts E E', and the connectingbeams C, C', C, and D, as shown in figs. l, 2, and 3.

The'bearing-rails jj, secured to the upper sides of the parallel beams A A', receive and support the carriage F', which carries the chucks and all the machinery required for supporting the spoke-blank, and imparting the requisite movements Athereto whilst it is being'operated upon by the cutters b bin the rotating cutter-head H.

The chuck-carrier F rests upon suitable transverse bearings, which rise from the face of the carriage F',

and is secured thereto by means of the pivot Z, near the 'right-hand end thereof, and by the lip z, which rises from the extreme left-hand end of the carriage, and embraces a ledge at that end of the chuck-carrier, as shown in iig. 1.

The arms'p' jp', which rise from near the left-hand end of the chuck-carrier F, receive and support the arbor U of the chuck or mandrel.

The base of the carrier W', of the centre-chuck c', rests upon the chuck-carrier F, and its shape is such that it can be secured in any desired position upon the said carrier F, by means of a set-screw.

Y When a spoke-blank has been secured between the lhead-chuck or mandrel on the arborUa'nd the centre'- chuck o', and the requisite rotarymotion has been imparted thereto, the oval shape of the portion g of the arbor U of the head-chuck, and its peculiar combination with`other parts of the lathe, causes the rotary motion of said chuck to impart a laterallyreciprocating.

the head chuck are produced in the following manner:

A vertical arm, c, rises from its rigid connection with the carriage F', immediately in the' rear of the oval portion g of. the arbor U of the head-chuck; and this arm is connected to one of thechuck-supporters p', by means of a spring, f, as shown in Figure 4.

This spring fpossesses a sufficient degree of strength and flexibility to keep the face ofthe arm e constantly in contact with the face of the oval portion g of the head-chuck, and consequently the rotationI of said chuck must necessarily impart a reciprocating movement to the left-hand end of the chuck-carrier F.

Arms n n, which descend from their rigid connection with each` end of the carriage F', figs. 1 and 7, carry the rotating horizontal shaft P, and the horizontal rack-bar O, in the positions shown in fig. 1.

The journals of the shaft P yvork in suitable boxes or apertures, at the lower ends of the supporting-arms n a, and the extremities of the rack-bar O are securely bolted to the inner sides of said supporting-arms.

A loose pulley, Q, on the shaft P, is made to turn therewith, by means of ak projection from the former working into a longitudinal groove in the latter.

Any lateral movement ofthe pulley Q is prevented by the arm w, Figure 8, which projects from the framepost G', and fits into an annular groove in the elongated hub x of saidpulley. Therefore, whilst the pulley Q is being rotated by a band passing from another pulley over the same, the shaft P may be moved longitudinally. back and forth-within said pulley, as circuinstances may require, and as will be hereinafter particularly set fo'rth.

Rotary motion is communicated to the shaft P from the driving-shaft L, by means of a band-connection of said shaft with the parallel shaft N, and by the band D', which connects thepulley H', on the shaftN, with the pulley Q on the said shaft P, as shown in fig. 3.

Motion is imparted to the carriage F in the following manner:

The vertical arm a whichl descends from its rigid connection with the under side of the frame-.beam A, terminates in an elongated transverse hub or box, e', which receives and supports the short transverse shaft a, figs. l and 3.

Secured to the inner end of the said short shaft a, is

' a sliding spur-pinion,'u', the teeth of which match into the teeth of the rack-bar O, when the said pinion is moved to the proper position to produce such a matching connection.

An annularly-grooved projection, from the front side of the pinion u', receivesthe forks of the angular lever q, Figure 11, which is pivoted to the under side of the frame-beam A, the vertically-descending portion of v said lever forming the handle, by means of which it is operated.

It will thus be perceived that motion is communicated to the carriage F from the shaft P through the medium of the bevelled Wheelso u, the transverse shaft a,- the pinion d', the toothed wheel I, the transverse shaft t', and the sliding pinion u', operating with each other-in the manner set forth.

Motion is imparted to the. arbor U, head-chuck, from the shaft P, by means of the band T, which connects the pulley on the left-hand end of said shaft with the pulley S on the chuck-shaft, in the manner represented in Figure 9.

The cutter-head H is secured to the projecting end of the shaft M, whose bearings are secured to the upper sides of the frame-beams C C. p f

Motion is communicated to the shaft M, from the main shaft L, by means of aband and pulley, as shown v in the drawings.

The band D', which connects the pulley H' on. the shaft N with the pulley Q on the shaft P, may be tightened or loosened in the following manner, viz:

The curved lever R, which is pivoted to the righthand side of the frame-post G', carries a flanged pulley; y', on a right-angular termination of the short end of said lever, and in such a position as to embrace the band D' a short distance above the pulley H', iig. 3.

A' suitably-proportioned weight, RQ, is Vsecured to the long end of the curved lever R.

The elongated tubular boxx, which is secured to the left-hand side of the frame-post G', receives the horizontal portion of the angular lever J, figs. 1 and 2.

The vertical portion of the lever J rises immediately in front-of the machine, and the right-angular inward termination of said lever passes to the right through a longitudinal slot in the curved lever R, iig. 3.

When the vertical portion of the lever J is vibrated so far to the left as to be caught by the spring-catch fr, iig. 1, that movement of said lever will canse the right-angular termination thereof to elevate the long end of the lever R, and thereby loosen the band D',

and stop the motion of the shaft P, and all the parts that derive their mot-ion therefrom.

A short distance tothe right of the cutter-head H, a forward projection, f', from the curved bar c', fig. 3, passes under the spoke-blank, when it is being operated upon by the cutters b b, and when the saidcurved bar a' is pressed upward by the weighted lever p, iigs.

o, as shown in iig. 1; and when the said levers are in that position, the driving-band D', which imparts motion to the shaft P, is in a slackened condition, and the auxiliary spoke-blank supporterf is retained in a position below the reach of a spoke-blank; or, inl other words, the said levers are in a proper position for a spoke-blank to be secured between the lathechucks, and properly adjusted therein, to be operated upon by the rotating cutters b b. When this has been done, the front portion of the lever J is released from the hold of the catch r', which enables the weight R', 0n the long leg of the lever It, to tighten the band D', and impart motion to the shaft P, which in turn imparts the requisite movements to thehead-chuck U, the carriage F', andthe chuck-carrier F.

Immediately after thus putting the machine in motion, the projection b', figs. 1 and 2, on the carriage F', is brought in contact with the upper' end of the springcatch o, and thereby vibrates the same' upon its centra] pivot, which movement of said catch disengages the same from thel lever p, and causes the weight p", at thc extremity thereof, to force upward the auxiliary supporter j" against the spoke-blank whilst it is being operated upon by the rotating cutters b b.

Wh'en the forward movement of the chuck-carrier F brings the spoke which is being formed near to its butend, the lever J is so operated as to stop the movement of the said carrier, and also the movements of the arbor U of the head-chuck.

As soon as the said stoppage occurs, the action of the rotating cutters b b upon the spoke brings its longest diameter into a horizontal position, where it is caught and retained by the action of the spring-actuf ated detent d upon one of the teeth c, on the barrel of the head-clutch U, as shown in figs. 4- and 6. Then, by taking hold of the cross-head tof the said arbor U of the head-chuck, and turning the spoke by hand to such positions as to alternately present the sides opposite the shortest diameter of the spoke to the action of the cutters, and atthe same time moving forward the clutch-carrier F, the required shape oi' the throat and but-portion of the spoke may given thereto.

Figure 5 and Figure 5%, in the accompanying dra ings, represent the shape of a spoke which has been formed in my improved spoke-lathe.

The pulley S, on the arbor U of the head-chuck, turns loosely inone direction, and is prevented from turning in the opposite direction by the spring-clutch s', iigs. 1 and 2, which arrangement enables the spoke to be turned by hand to any desired position for inishing the but-portion thereof Without unshipping the band T, which impartsmotion to the arbor U of the head-chuck. p

Each of the rails j j', beneath the carriage F', is divided at the point z iigs. 1 and 2.

The left-hand or shorter portion of each of said rails i is permanently secured to its respective supportingbeam A or A', and the longer or right-hand portion of each of said rails is pivoted at its right-hand end, and 1 otherwise so arranged as-to allow a slight degree ot' inward vibration to be imparted to the left-hand end of said rails.

Near to the left-hand end of the vibrating portion of the front rail j', there is secured to the inner surface of the frame-beam A, a ledge, k, whose shape is the reverse or counterpart of that which it is desired to give to the flattened sides of the but-portion of the spoke.

A vertical shaft, t', passing down through a transverse slot, iig. 2, in the chuck-carrier F, is secured, by means of the spring-box l, fig. 4, to theffront side of the carriage F.

A roller, j, is secured to the lower end of the said vertical shaft c', and a handle, i', is secured to the'upper end of the same. l

rllhe action of a spring in the box Z ordinarily keeps the shaft i in so elevated a position that the roller j, at the lower end thereof', will pass above the ledge k, on the inner face ofthe frame-beam A; but by pressing down the said shaft, and turning its handle t toward the front, a catch, within the box l, retains the same iu the depressed position shown in iig. 4, a position which brings the roller j, at the bottom of tlle shaft e', in contact with the aforementioned ledge k the instant after the left-hand end of the carriage F has passed the left-hand end of Athe vibrating portion of the rails j i',and by so doing, will move inward the left-hand end of the advancing carriage F and the chuck-holder F, exactly the proper distance to cause the series of rotating cutters b b to turn off the sides of the but-portion of the spoke to the shape represented in fig. 5% of the drawings.

Having thus fully described my improved spokelathe,

'What I claim therein as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'to the loose pulley Q, on the shaft P, and gearing with the bevel-wheel u, on the-transverse shaft a, the pinion d', on the shaft a, gearing with the toothed wheel the desired spoke-shape, viz, commencing with a circular shape at the outer'end'of the spoke, and chang.

ing from that to a gradually-widening oval shape toward the but-end of the same, all substantially as v .herein set forth.

4. The herein-described comhinatiouof parts, by which I am enabled to impart the requisite movements to the spoke to enable the rotating cutters b b to give the desired shape to the but/#portion thereof, (shown by tig. 5,) all substantially in the manner herein set forth.

5.- The combination of the hand-lever J with the weighted lever p, the shaft z, and the auxiliary spokeblauk holder a! f', fig. 3, .substantially in the manner,

and for the purpose herein set forth.

The aforegoing specification of my improved spokelathe, signed this 30th day of September, 1868.

ISAAC S. ROLAND. Witnesses:

Z. C. Romeins, n EDM. F.1BR0WN. 

